Taxpayer Revolted

Dear Friends:

I started to read Ben Joravsky's article on Dawn Clark Netsch [January 7]. But before I even finished page one, he made a statement that was so outrageously stupid and illogical that it stopped me cold.

I'm referring to his assertion that "apparently, most voters prefer to believe government can run on nothing."

NOTHING!? Get serious, you imbecile!

I work two jobs, with a combined annual salary (before taxes) of under $35,000. Right off the top, our poor State and Federal Governments take almost exactly 25 percent. That's far from "nothing."

Then, there's the state and local sales taxes. And out of my pocket come all the residual payments that can be attributed to taxes paid by others, and trickled down to me--my rent's higher, groceries cost more, etc.

Finally, I just finished doing my taxes for '93. And for the first time since the Carter administration, I end up owing the poor government! This time, it's an additional $645 they want, which is a lot more than I gross in a week.

Viewing C-SPAN just a few short months ago, I watched as our wonderful State Senators, Simon and Moseley-Braun, cheered upon passage of the latest tax increase.

Joravsky's "logic" also assumes that no tax increase equals no taxes at all. Actually, there's as much space between the two as there is between Ben's ears.

Gene Christianson
Oak Lawn

Ben Joravsky replies:

Geez, Gene--so I used a little hyperbole. The point is that people want more and more governmental goodies, but they don't want to pay for them. In other words, they want something for nothing.